Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Following this direction, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, with all eight public-private partnership, PPP, companies which operate the tolls, achieved agreement on the suspension of these increases for the first six months of this year. As the agreed six-month period will expire on 1 July, the revised toll prices will apply from that date. The setting of tolls is a statutory function for TII, although there are some procedural differences when it comes to the two public roads, namely, the M50 and the Dublin Port tunnel, and the eight PPP roads. There is no formal consultation or consultative role for the Minister when it comes to tolls. It is a matter for TII, which has a statutory function in this regard. The board proposed toll increases for 2023 on the M50 and agreed the proposed increases on the eight PPP routes as well. Overall, in the context of tolls, given that these roads are mainly run by means of PPPs, there are contractual obligations involved. Those obligations are linked to inflation, and that is the situation that obtains.

In a more general context - and I have outlined the delay in respect of the six-month period relating to the tolls - the Government is very cognisant of the pressures that have been on our people over the past 18 months, particularly last winter. This is something we will consider again in the budget and in advance of next winter. We have introduced measures to try to support people during that period in order to relieve the economic pressure on them.

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